Disappearing Act
by chibi-inuyasha-girl
Summary: AU. Inuyasha finds a near-dead Kagome and rushes her to get help. When she wakes up, she realizes the man in her dreams doesn't exist. Instead, Inuyasha is there, eerily similar to the man Kagome imagined, yet they've never met. How will she cope?
1. Introduction

**THIS FIRST CHAPTER IS SLIGHTLY MORE VIOLENT THAN THE REST OF THE CHAPTERS PLAN TO BE FOR A WHILE. IF YOU ARE UNDER 13 PLEASE BE WARNED. I DO NOT WANT TO GET IN TROUBLE. THIS IS YOUR WARNING. **

**REASON: LANGUAGE, MENTION OF RAPE, BLOOD - IT ISN'T A LOT, BUT ENOUGH THAT I AM POSTING A WARNING.**

**I AM SERIOUS.**

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**Introduction**

He sat alone on a park bench. Arms tucked into his sleeves. Head bent forward. Coat collar pulled up. The rain insisted on pestering him. It fell persistently on his cold and frozen body that was quickly loosing all sensation. The only source of heat that might have helped was the scoundrel dog perched on his lap. The dog shivered just as badly as the apparent owner. For April, this was an uncommonly cold shower. Near freezing point. Yet the atmosphere heated itself enough to produce rain colder and more penetrating than snow; it chilled you to the bone.

No one dared to be outside tonight. A chilly spring day turned into a nightmare for anyone caught outside tonight. Unfortunately, the invisible man was one of them.

No one saw him. No one knew him. No one bothered him.

He liked it that way. He'd always been on his own. Constantly drifting where he could and living where he shouldn't. Taking chances and creating hazards. It was his job. Make everyone else's life a living hell because his was just as bad as theirs. He just had a different way of experiencing it. Where any other person would be miserable in his position, he enjoyed it. He lived for it.

Being invisible had its benefits. You could go where no one else could. No one could see you, therefore you can come and go as you please. It was the one perk to being a loner.

"Whadda ya say boy," he mumbled to the dog. "Should we go find somewhere to stay tonight? Doesn't look like this fucking rain is gunna stop." The dog looked up. "Thought so. Come on."

The dog leapt to the ground and shook its body to try and rid itself of the icy blanket, but no luck. It began whimpering. "I'm hungry, too. But we hafta wait until tomorrow, Bud." The two began walking in some direction. Towards downtown maybe. If they were lucky, some fast food joint would still be open and they could see if there was anything available.

But there wasn't. For about a half an hour the two jogged from sidewalk to sidewalk looking for someplace to stay constantly looking for food; the dog slightly in front. Suddenly the dog stopped catching his owner by surprise. He slid to a stop nearly toppling over the dog. "What the hell?! What'd you do that for? Bud? Hey wait!" Bud had taken off down a stretch of abandoned field. The dirty mutt splashed carelessly through puddles, taking time only to see if his owner was keeping up. "Bud, wait up!"

Finally, the dog slowed down, and began walking in circles to wait up for his master, whimpering. "What the fuck was that all about?!" But Bud was off again, this time headed to the right towards a road. "If you don't stop this I'm not going to feed you!" he shouted. Bud barked. He never barked.

This was big. Really big. Maybe even dangerous.

"All right boy, keep going, I'll try to keep up…" Suddenly the master laid off on the insults. At this point, there was no thought of keeping warm or eating something. This was about some… thing… that had Bud worried. Enough to pursue it over a half a mile.

Bud barked once more. This snapped the owner back to reality. "Right, comin'!" He took off after the dog. He saw a car driving away from where Bud was running towards. There haven't been any cars until now… the owner thought. "It's just a car, Bud! Get back here!" But as he kept running, that's when he saw it.

The red. Everywhere. Boy was everywhere a lack of description.

The house where Bud had come to rest at was a single story, ranch style house; bricks on the lower half and paneling on the upper half – tan. But it was almost impossible to see the house's natural color. It was tainted so crimson, you'd guessed a teenage prankster painted the side red. Even the bricks.

"What the hell… Bud!" The owner ran to the dog's side. Bud was tugging on some article of clothing in the bushes. At one time, it was possible the article was a shirt; orange maybe. "Holy fucking shit… Bud is … that…" The dog tugged a little more. An arm was suddenly visible. "Holy sh… Bud. What are we gunna do?! We can't go to police. They'll think I did it." The owner ran to the dog's side and tried to see if the person was still alive.

Bud whimpered profusely. The owner finally got the person's head untangled from the branches of the bushes. The person was a she. Most likely. The petite cheek bone structure was the clue. "Holy shit… who would do this…" He checked the girl's pulse – extremely faint. "Sh-she's alive. I can't, she's gun… holy fuck…"

The dog nudged its owner's arm. "I can't." Bud barked. Yes. He had to.

He pulled the girl out further – her body was annihilated. It looked as if someone had twisted her legs like a twist-tie. She had no pants or underwear on – most likely rape. She only wore a shirt that was extremely see-through. Her arms were badly bruised and scratched. Blood flowed moderately from a gash in her forehead. One kneecap looked completely misplaced.

Had she been at a party? Was she in an accident? Was alcohol related? Why would this happen? Who is she?

Dozens of questions raced through the drenched helper's mind. His own body was numb from cold that he didn't feel his ankle give out in the frenzy. This girl was dying. If not dead. He needed to do something. He could take care of himself later.

Once he got her out of the bushes he looked around for something to use as a wheelbarrow or cart – nothing. "Just my fucking luck…" He carefully took off the one heat-source he had – his jacket – and tried to wrap the girl up. It didn't cover past her thighs. Better than nothing.

The rain kept coming, though not as heavy as before. It was mostly a miserable drizzle.

After taking only a few moments to assess how he was going to carry the girl, Bud nudged the helper's arm. "I know, I know. We gotta hurry." He scooped the girl up; one hand across her back, the other under her knees. Or what was left of them.

The he took off. He ran like he'd never run before. The searing pain in his ankle still hadn't caught up to his racing mind. He didn't even notice. Bud ran next to the girl, occasionally sprinting ahead and directing which way to turn. Good thing, because they were lost.

After running for what seemed like an hour, a road with cars driving on it was in sight. So was the hospital. It looked to be about a quarter mile away. The dark of night was broken by street lights. Rain water was building up in the ditches. The drains weren't draining.

Bud barked. This time, it sounded good. "I know!" came a huffed reply.

The dog took off, splashing through numerous puddles. He ran across the street completely ignoring the vehicles honking madly. This was no time for caution. This was a matter of life or death for some girl.

Bud had gone to the door of the hospital and began barking loudly and scratching the emergency room door while his owner crossed the street. Once he was across the road, everything became a blur.

The girl was whisked from his grasp. He collapsed.

He was sitting in a wheelchair.

He was staring at the ceiling light.

He was tired…

The warmth was nice. He had been so cold before. Where was Bud? Was he this comfortable, too?

There were voices, but they were so far away that it was hard to hear them.

This warmth, though. It felt like being at the beach in southern California at the end of summer with this heated embrace. So… mesmerizing.

Finally he passed out.

--

This is an edited A/N. I had a few reviewers wanting to know why this was short. This is an Prologue/Intro thingy. Other chapters are going to be longer. But as of right now, a set limit is unknown.

Thanks to my reviewers thus far. You guys keep me happy :)

Spread the word: **chibi-inuyasha-girl is back** for now at least haha!


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Morning, Kagome!"

A head popped up from behind a counter. "Sango? You're early! What's wrong?"

The door shut and the girls giggled. "Nothing's wrong. I was in a good mood last night and thought I'd come in early to help. Are you gunna fire your only employee because I felt nice?" Sango walked to the back of the shop and bent over the counter. The girl behind it was busily looking for something. "Can I ask what you're looking for?"

The girl named Kagome sighed. "Well, I got a call last night about wedding mints. I thought I had a tray mold I could use and I can't seem to find it." She stood up and put her hands on her hips. Her face was slightly perplexed. "It's the first wedding I've gotten called to cater and I have to call and cancel the mints! Damn it all!"

Sango frowned. "Didn't you put them in a box labeled 'Wedding' and shove it under your back table?" Kagome gasped. She scrambled over the pots and trays scattered behind the counter to get to the back door. "Careful!"

"What would I do without you!" Kagome called before lunging in the doorway. She disappeared into the dark black room.

Sango giggled. She walked around behind the counter and threw her purse under the counter. Immediately getting to work, she began picking up Kagome's mess on the ground.

_Coffee on the Corner_ was a little shop opened by Kagome two years ago. She'd seen this shop so desolate since her childhood and wanted to do something for the city she lived in. So when she was 20, she invested everything she had into making this little shop profitable. She dropped medical school to work full time. Her life was at a turn around.

Then Kagome had put an ad in the paper. Nothing big, just a small, cheap ad: _Coffee shop opening: hired help needed_. Sango, her new best friend, answered that call.

Without a moment's hesitation, the two were business partners. Both college drop outs. Both extremely energetic. Both extremely poor. Both extremely alone. It was a miracle the two met.

Neither had any business experience. They knew they started with nothing. They knew there was a risk this place would never take off. They knew they would try.

For two years, _Coffee on the Corner_ was the busiest independent coffee shop downtown. Next to Starbucks, they were the only competition. Run by two twenty-something year olds. They had more than doubled their investment.

No other workers were ever hired. The two didn't need anyone else. They were amazingly fast. Imagine the movie "Coyote Ugly" and how the girls served behind the bar and you have Kagome and Sango. They learned how to make anything the customer wanted. Any coffee, cappuccino, frappucino, smoothie, donut, roll, dessert, sweet… you name it. These two could make it.

The customers were usually regulars. Sometimes they had the occasional passer-by who would wander in to see what that delicious smell was. Often times, they too became a regular. No one could resist the charm of the two girls' personalities.

"Morning ladies," came a man's voice. Sango checked the clock. Seven-oh-seven. The bell jingled above the door as it shut behind the customer. A chair slid in the background and a newspaper was heard being unfolded.

"Morning Miroku," Sango called from the floor, still picking up the pots. She was about done. There was a shuffle going on in the back room.

"What's the occasion this morning? You two are usually baking away by now."

Sango stood up and wiped her brow. "Kagome got her first wedding call. She's looking for her mint molds." Miroku nodded in understanding. He pulled a laptop out of his briefcase and booted it up.

Kagome came out of the backroom, molds in hand. "I found them!" came a cheery reply. "Oh, hi Miroku! Didn't hear the bell."

"It's alright. I'm a little early today."

Kagome sighed. "What's with everyone being early today? It must be a sign." She walked over to the oven and turned on the light. "They're about ready. Just a couple minutes," she said.

The two ladies began their morning routine. More of the regulars began showing up at 7:15 like always. And, just like everyday, Sango and Kagome had everything ready for them.

With the morning hustle and bustle, not much was accomplished other than making sure everyone got what they wanted. By 7:45, most everyone left for the 7:50 bus stop across the street. Miroku stayed until 8.

"I'm afraid I must leave you two," he called as he threw away his paper mug. He threw a dashing smile their way, hoping to make one of them blush.

"Yea, yea, just get outta here," Sango said sarcastically. She tried to hide her smile with a scowl. The man left with a wave of his hand.

Kagome threw a look Sango's way. "You're starting to flirt with him!" she yelled. Sango's eyes went wide with guilt.

"N-no I'm not! He's just nice! He's a regular! We gotta make sure we keep the customers happy!" Sango tried to defend. She quickly got to work picking up the morning mess. Kagome gave a small chuckle. "I'm serious," Sango said softly.

"Yea, ok. You keep telling yourself that." Kagome grabbed some of the cups used and took them to the back sink. "Hey can you start the doughs this morning? I gotta call someone about this wedding order. Just wanna make sure I'm doing it right." Sango mumbled something about dough, but Kagome paid no attention to it.

The girl started the warm sink water on the wash and sanitize sides of the sink, leaving the middle open for rinsing. She hummed a little tune that had been in her head the last few days. It was a song she heard on the radio but hadn't caught the name of the tune. She didn't even know the words.

After she threw the cups in to start soaking, she plopped down in one of the two work chairs at the back desk. Papers were scattered all over. Receipts. Orders. Bills. Letters. All sorts of things. _I really need to get a little tidier…_ Kagome thought.

She pulled the phone from underneath some of the papers and grabbed the phone book from the top drawer. "Masu… Masu… Masu… a-ha! Masu comma Koga!" she said aloud. She punched in the numbers on the phone and listened to the phone ring. After three… four rings, she got concerned. "He usually picks up by now…" she said softly. "_Hey this is Koga, I'm not around but if you'd li-"_

"Screw it," Kagome said. She could call him later.

The phone rang. "Odd." She picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hey," came the soft reply.

"Why didn't you answer?" Kagome asked. She grabbed a pen to scribble with.

"Sorry, I uh… I'm having phone troubles," came the reply. There was a crash in the background.

Kagome rolled her eyes. She'd heard that one before. "Well I just have a quick question," she spoke softly. "I got my first wedding call and I'm not sure what exactly I all have to do. I thought since you worked catering, you could help."

Koga mumbled something. "Hey yea, um. Can you give me five minutes? I'll call you right back, I promise."

"Yea. Whatever." She put the phone down softly. Kagome put the pen down and walked over to the sink. She mindlessly began humming that same tune from before while she washed dishes.

Up front, Sango had begun mixing various types of doughs and batters together. She was a whiz. There was bread doughs, donut dough, brownie batter, cookie dough, and about three other types of mixes on the back counter, all mixed to perfect amounts. Some things were already in the oven.

The door jingled.

"Hey, I'll be with you in a sec," Sango called thoughtlessly. It was so routine to be interrupted it became the first reply she said without thinking.

No reply came. Sango turned around. There was a man, more like a twenty-something guy, that had seated himself right inside the door. He pulled a laptop out of his coat and opened it up. His coat was soaked. It had started raining. "Fucking rain. Better not have done anything to this piece of shit computer," he mumbled to himself.

"When did it start raining?" Sango asked wiping flour and sugar across her forehead, still stirring a bowl.

The guy didn't say anything. He typed something (a password?) into the computer and sat back.

_What a prude_, Sango thought. She shrugged. Wasn't the first, or the worst, that had acted that way. She just went back to stirring.

"Hey Kagome," Sango called, setting the bowl down and wiping her hands on the apron. "Kagome?"

The girl poked her head around the corner, "Yea?"

"Um, did you know it was raining?"

Kagome looked outside. "Nope." She disappeared back into the backroom.

Sango put her hands on her hips. It hadn't been raining at 8. It didn't even look cloudy a half an hour ago. _Strange_. She got back to work.

"Hey, you got wireless here?"

Sango stopped. "Yea, why?"

The guy clicked a few buttons. "It ain't working."

"Maybe its cuz of the rain. Our connection is pretty shaky when it rains. We need to switch companies."

"Maybe." He got back to work.

"Did you want a coffee or something to warm up?"

"Nah," came the reply. "Not much of a coffee drinker. Not really a caffeine person."

"What do you drink then?" Sango questioned. Not many people came in and didn't get something.

"What does it matter?" came the sour answer. Sango gave a glare, but continued working.

Kagome came up and wiped her hands on her apron. "Dishes are done," she said. She looked over to the newcomer. "Who is that?" she whispered.

Sango shrugged. Kagome grabbed a bowl of mixture (cookie dough) and started putting little balls on a tray to bake.

Over the next few hours, customers were in and out. The normal lunch rush came through. Several people commented on the rain, how it had come up so suddenly. And how cold it was. Not normal rain. More cold and bitter than snow. Miserable. It was April after all. What was going on?

At about 2, there were about five people in the shop. The man from earlier was one of them. Kagome scrunched her face, puzzled by the mysterious man. "How long has he been here?" she whispered to Sango over the chatter of the remaining customers.

Sango shrugged. "Since this morning. He asked about the internet. Maybe he's a writer." She began clearing the counter and wiping it off.

Kagome grabbed a rag to go wipe off the tables. Most of them were littered with crumbs. She got to a table situated behind the man with the computer. She slowly glanced up to see if she could see what was on his screen. It looked like the internet, so maybe he was just doing some browsing somewhere quiet. She walked back to the counter. Sango checked the stocks of the available goodies. All set for the after school rush.

"Well, we're a little ahead of schedule. What do you want to do?" Sango said wiping her hands. Kagome threw the rag in the sink.

"Well maybe we should get started on placing orders for that wedding," she suggested. "I want to make sure I have enough of everything when we start making stuff." Sango nodded. "I'll be right back I need to grab the list of what they wanted." Kagome disappeared into the back room to get the order sheet and an order paper.

Sango leaned against the back counter facing the front door. The man was gone. The other five customers still chatting. "Hm, didn't hear him leave," she said quietly. She folded her arms and began watching the people outside.

Miroku passed by. _I never noticed him walk by before_, she thought to herself. She watched him walk from right to left. As he passed the door, he glanced in and kept walking, a small grin on his face. _Oh no, what if he saw me staring at him! _She blushed.

"Ok, here we go," Kagome said, paying no attention to the scene outside, or on the face of her friend. She laid the two papers side by side and they began working.

--

"See you tomorrow, Kagome!" Sango called as she walked out of the building. She threw a wave behind her and left.

"Bye!" Kagome called before the door shut. "Phew!" she exclaimed. She looked to the clock. "9:10," she said aloud. "Time to leave!"

Kagome walked to the backroom to grab her purse and keys. "Koga didn't call back…" she remembered. She'd have to call him on her drive back home. She grabbed her purse, checked to make sure her phone was in it, pulled her keys out of the purse, and swung her jacket on. As she walked by, she flipped all the lights off, leaving only the backroom light on for security reasons.

She walked out the front door and shut the door behind her. She turned to put her keys in the lock to lock it, but was stopped. "Hey." She froze.

That voice.

/

Doctors stood over the incredibly sick boy, bewildered he hadn't died of pneumonia yet. His ankle was broken, his fever well over 106, his skin freezing to the touch. His breathing was shallow, his heart pumping so fast, it was a miracle he didn't have a heart attack. His eyes were nonresponsive. His reflexes gone. Yet, when put under brain scans, his brain was fully active.

How had he managed to carry her?

The assistant standing next to one of the doctors read the chart of the unknown patient. "How'd he get here?" The woman doctor was quiet. "Well he had to have gotten here somehow, he didn't just walk in like that." The doctor left, leaving the assistant to ponder his thoughts. "Did he?"

Bud lay outside, curled up under a car parked in the parking lot. The poor dog's breathing was shallow; his little body shaking so badly. Nothing was more miserable than being caught in this freezing April rain.

Now, Bud was alone. His master inside, maybe never to see him again. The sick dog whimpered. How he missed his master's warmth…

--

Well. That's chapter 1. I have no idea where this plot is going. I'm making it up as I type. Honestly.

Thanks to my reviewers! I haven't had nice people like you in a long time! It makes me feel good!

About the first segment: it's more like a prologue, or introduction. Just to try and get you hooked… So hopefully you are! If you're like me, then you wanna find out what's going on… Because I'm right there with you. I'm waiting for the next chapter to get published (or typed in my case) cuz it's so new to me! I'm always thinking of what I want to happen next.

Again, thanks loyal fans from years ago and welcome newcomers! I hope you like my new stuff. Plus, fyi, you won't find out what the title means til the end of the whole story. I know what I want to ultimately happen. But in the meantime, it's all up in the air!

PS: I'm thinking about trying something I've never seen done. What would you think if I published chapters with recommended listening music for each chapter? Like what I listened to when I wrote it so you know the mood I'm in? Kinda like a mini soundtrack for the chapter? IDK, that's just something I think would be cool.

Lemme know what you think!

-chibi-inuyasha-girl


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_She was absolutely beautiful.  Her face, her skin, her body._

_But her eyes.__  They were the most magnificent thing he'd ever seen.  Those deep brown, creamy chocolate eyes staring back at him.  But oh, how he love to stare into the depths of her soul that way._

_Her body next to his, morphed into a perfect unity of limbs.  _

_The way her hair sprawled over her face and a few strands dangled on her eyes. Her almost-black hair.  So soft. Delicate. Perfect._

_She was unlike any person he'd ever met. Never before had he been this peaceful. It was a moment to die for._

"GAHHHHH!"

Nurses and assistants rushed in.  "He's awake! Hurry! Get someone here fast! DOCTOR!" It took several people to restrain him.

"What the hell… where am I?" the stranger moaned. He thrashed in the bed violently, almost falling out. His eyes darted around the room.  Sweat, cold sweat, poured down the sides of his face and along his nose. His mouth was dry. So dry.

"Please, stay calm!" came a voice.

"The fuck I will, tell me what's going on."

"Sir please, you're in the hospital.  Do you remember coming here? You brought a girl who was very badly injured."

He looked to the direction that the voice came from. She was pretty. Tall and slender. Her black hair pulled neatly away from her face. But her eyes were somewhere else, like she was tired. She strained her glance towards the man's very undetailed report.

He had since calmed down.  His pulse raced wildly, however.  He scrunched his face and sighed. "Fuck. That's right." He let out a breath.

The nurses and assistants backed off slowly, hesitantly moving away.  They eyed him suspiciously. He stayed motionless.

"Sir?" asked the nurse.

"Yea, yea I'm still awake," he grumbled out.  "Shit, I feel like I got hit with bricks," he moaned.  He closed his eyes and sighed again.  "How's the girl?"

The doctor moved to sit in the chair across the room.  Some of the nurses left, leaving only one standing next to the doctor.  "Well. She's severely beaten. Multiple skull fractures. Intense physical trauma. She's been raped, by several men may I add.  Her legs are broken, possibly irreversible.  Several cracked vertebrae.  She must have an army of angels watching out for her.  She really is lucky to be alive after all that, thought I don't know the extent of the damage.  When people like her come in, they usually die within minutes of arrival.  She's been sleeping for days and-"

"Whoa, days? How long have I been here?" the stranger asked looking around.  "Where's my clothes? Where's my dog?"

The doctor glanced from the unknown man's report.  "There was no dog, other than the one that got our attention the night you arrived.  After you passed out, he disappeared.  We were going to bring him in because you looked like his master."

"Damn it, I hope he's ok. When do I get outta here?" the stranger detached the monitors from his chest and sat up, only to collapse right back down. "Fuck… I feel like shit!"

"You would be best to lie down.  Your right ankle is completely shattered.  You have several gashes, possibly from when you were trying to pull the girl out of the bushes.  You had a severe case of pneumonia, bronchitis, and a near fatal case of influenza. Yet you're surprisingly vocal.  We expected you to be out for several more days.  You're quite a trooper."

The stranger chuckled. "That's me. I've had worse, believe it or not."

The woman raised an eyebrow.  "Really? And you're still alive?"

"You said it yourself – I'm a trooper."

The woman nodded and gave a small grin.  "Well.  We have virtually no information about you.  Would you mind telling me about yourself?"

The man sat up and slumped his arms into his lap.  He was so weak, but he didn't want to show it.  "Inuyasha."  There was a silence.

"That's it?"

"That's all I'm giving you.  You don't need anymore."

"Well where do you live."

"I said I ain't givin you anymore information."  Another silence.  "There isn't much more to know, anyway."

The doctor and her assistant stood up.  "Well, Inuyasha, you need some rest.  You are still deathly sick.  It really is a miracle you're this active at this stage of all of your illnesses.  You've got everyone here baffled.  The girl, too.  Speaking of – do you know anything about her? Her name? Where she's from?"

Inuyasha looked at his feet.  He finally realized the giant cast.  He attempted to move his ankle… stupid idea.  He winced.  "Nope."  He tilted his head sideways to look at the retreating doctor.  But she had already left.  "Bitch."

--

Sango walked up to the shop at about 5 the next day, humming a little tune she made up.  She started digging for the shop keys when her phone went off – Kagome's ringer.  "Hm. Odd."  She stopped and dug through her purse to find the ringing object.  With a quick flick of the phone, she opened it.  "Hello?"

"Sango?"

"Hey, what's up? Aren't you at the shop?"

"No. Can you do me a giant favor and get things started this morning.  I'm… kind of preoccupied." She sounded tired, slightly exasperated.

"Sure. Is something wrong?"

"Um. Not really. I uh… well is that ok? I mean I can come down if you want-"

"No, no. It's fine. I can get it."

"K, thanks.  I'll be there in a while."

Sango slapped the phone shut.  She was a little worried, but Kagome was under some stress yesterday, so maybe she wanted a few extra hours rest.  She continued the half a block to the store and stuck in her key.  She unlocked the door and walked inside.

For the next couple hours, Sango was on double duty.  At a little after seven, Miroku walked in.  "Morning ladies… lady… Where's Kagome?"

Sango didn't stop her mixing.  "Sorry, she called me this morning and said she was gunna be late.  I'm kinda behind."  She plowed through several cabinets to find the utensil she was looking for.  "Please wait, I'm almost done with your usual."

Miroku had somehow snuck up on her behind the counter and was putting an apron on.  His navy blue button up sleeves rolled half way up his arms, revealing very dark, muscular forearms.  Sango blushed.  "W-what are you doing?"

"Tell me what you want me to do." Sango stuttered. "I'm going to help you today. At least until Kagome gets here."

"Well, uh. Do you know how to … wait aren't you going to be late for work?"

Miroku smiled.  "Don't worry.  Everything is taken care of.  Now tell me what you need me to do.  I've watched you guys for years.  I know a little bit of what to do…"

Sango began explaining how things were supposed to be mixed together, what bowls to use, what cups to measure with, what beans to blend.  For the next few hours, Sango was in charge.  And she had an unlikely helper – Miroku, a simple regular customer.

The two took care of the morning rush.  Then, at 7:45 like always, everyone was across the street waiting for the bus, however, Miroku was still here.

"Phew!" Sango sighed wiping her forehead.  She leaned up against the back counter and glanced at Miroku who was attempting to carry several cups and bowls at the same time to the back room.  She giggled and took a few of the top cups before they fell.  "Need some help?"

Miroku gave an apologetic smile.  "I made a mess, I'm just trying to pick up."

"Nonsense.  Me and Kagome do this all the time."  The two walked to the backroom and placed the dishes in the sink.

The door jingled.

"Be right with you!" Sango called washing the flour and mess from her hands.  She walked up to the front while she wiped her hands off and was surprised to see Kagome standing in the doorway, completely disheveled. "Kagome! Oh my… Are you ok?" she called running to the front of the store. Miroku poked his head out of the backroom to see what was wrong.

Kagome stared at the ground. Her eyes broken and unfocused.  Her face pale.  "I need to talk to you," she said quietly, not changing her fixation.  Sango grabbed her friend and shoved her in a seat.  She swung a chair around from the other side of the table and faced her numb friend.  Miroku had appeared next to them.

"Why don't you lock the doors, Miroku?" Sango asked, looking up at the customer.  He nodded and shut off the 'Open' light, then turned the latch shut.  He grabbed a chair also and came to sit next to Kagome.  Sango looked at the man with nervous eyes.  She didn't know what to say.

Kagome placed her hands in her lap, tightly.  Her body began shaking.  Her clothes tattered and torn.  "Last night…" she began softly, "…I…"  Tears began freefalling from her face.  Sango grabbed several napkins and gave them to her friend.  "When you left, Sango…"

"Kagome I told you I would wait! What happened! This is all my fault!"

"No.  Listen.  When you left, I was locking up.  A-and-" she stopped to blow her nose.  She sniffled and continued, "He came back."

Sango's whole demeanor dropped.  Miroku gave the girls looks.  He didn't say anything.

"Kagome. I thought you said he was dead."

"I did too… I don't understand, I mean, I saw him – he was laying… and then… blood and – his face, oh his face…"

Sango scooted towards the disturbed girl.  She pulled her into a tight embrace.  "Kagome, you have to tell me what happened.  I don't understand.  If you can tell me, you need to.  This is important."  Miroku still sat silent, yet completely lost.  "No. What you need to do is go home.  You need to rest. You need to think about this and I'll come over tonight to check on you.  You don't open your doors for anyone. Not until you hear me.  Do you understand?"

Kagome hesitated, then nodded.  She wiped her eyes with a napkin, then got another one for her nose.  Sango pulled Kagome to her feet and walked to the front door.  "I'll be right back Miroku."  The girls disappeared outside.

Miroku sat completely lost by what had just happened.  Kagome encountered someone she thought was dead? And instead he seemed alive and well?  How? Usually people don't come back from the dead. CAN'T come back from the dead. Did she witness someone get murdered? He had no idea what was going on.

Sango reappeared and sat back down next to Miroku.  She was silent for a while.  "I sent Kagome home in a cab.  I should probably go with her, but she insisted that she was capable of getting home."  Miroku took Sango's hand in his and put it between his other hand. She looked at the man with lonely eyes.

She burst into tears.

This was definitely not a good thing at all.

--

In a room in intensive care, the girl now named Kagome lay completely motionless. Completely unaware of anything happening around her.  Both of her legs were casted.  Her entire body wrapped with bandages.  Her head. There was no word to describe the brutality of her beating.  Every medical staff that saw her wondered how in the hell she lived through this.  Really, they weren't even sure she was alive.  Her body functioned – but at minimal requirements.  Enough to breathe and pump blood.  They weren't sure that her brain was working correctly.

She hadn't twitched once since they began examining her.  No reflexes. No muscle tension.  Everything had gone lax.  It was like a reverse case of sleep paralysis.  Instead of her muscles "paralyzing" her, they didn't do anything at all.

The woman stood beside the girl, staring her down.  Though, it was fairly difficult to stare her down when her eyes were swollen shut.  "How are you alive?" she said.  With a short pause, she turned and walked away, leaving the girl to sleep in her own mind.

--

So there's the next chapter. I'm so excited to see where this goes with you guys.  I'm amazed I've put this many chapters out this fast. I really missed writing I guess.

If there's a disease out there described by either Inuyasha or Kagome, don't tell me. I'm making this up and it can be whatever I want : ) If there really is something, it'll spoil everything. So I'm warning you now: every disease, disorder, medical term, basically anything related to a hospital and medicine is probably not right. I'm not going for accuracy – I'm going for entertainment.

Other than that, thanks!

PS: I have a blog (chibiinuyashagirl. blogspot. com) that I'll update every now and then to tell you if I have troubles or not. You can kinda see what's going on in my life then.

-chibi


	4. Chapter 3

Kokoronagomu – I'm going to address the CSI stuff this chapter… thanks for being observant! As for no one going to the cops… well. You'll see…

Everyone else: thanks for reading/reviewing! It's very comforting to hear that I can pick up writing so fast again and have people liking it! I fell much loved.

**Chapter 3**

Inuyasha was trapped in his bed. With his ankle as busted up as it was, it was gunna take a few days, maybe a little over a week before he was back walking.  He wasn't even sure how he'd broken it so badly.  There was such a rush trying to get the girl to the hospital he had completely forgotten about the rain and cold, forgotten he was hungry, forgotten everything. She was the more critical one. She needed help.

He didn't even know who she was.

"Sir?" Inuyasha looked to the door. A cop. Great. "Can I talk with you?"

Inuyasha repositioned himself a little. Slightly uncomfortable. "I guess I don't have a choice."

The cop remained emotionless.  "It's about the girl." He pulled the chair the doctor had been sitting in just a few minutes ago. Inuyasha figured that's what he was here about. _Well you're not here to talk about the stock market_, he thought sarcastically, giving himself a little chuckle. The cop gave him a dirty look.  "All right. Do you know anything about the girl?"

"No… why would I. My dog started going crazy and I followed him to her."

The cop took notes.  "K. We've sent people to the scene to investigate. They can't find anything. I gotta say, that was one helluva scene. One of the worst I've seen.  That poor girl…"

"How did you know where she was?"

The cop hesitated. Then slowly began. "We had a jogger run by and see the blood. Wasn't until the next day. The rain had begun to wash it away. Most of its contaminated. It's not all hers either."

Inuyasha stopped. He looked out the window. _There were more?_ Who the hell would do something like this?

"Sir?"

"Call me Inuyasha."

"All right, Inuyasha. Can you tell me anything you saw? Was there anything out of the ordinary? Any clothes that you saw that weren't the girl's?"

He thought. "I don't remember anything except getting her help. It's all kind of a blur, honestly," he said softly. Why was he so concerned? He didn't know her…

"Well, if you're keeping something, we know you didn't do it. So you can speak your mind."

Silence.

"It isn't that. I just don't remember."

The cop flipped his little note pad shut and leaned forward putting his elbows on his knees.  "Have you seen her yet?"

Inuyasha looked over at the cop. He looked back down at his own legs. He thought he was bad, but he had no room to complain. That girl in there was in one doozy of a crime.  He waited several minutes before responding. "Can you take me?"

The cop got some help arranging a wheelchair for Inuyasha. With some reluctance to sitting, they were off to the girl's room.

--

 Sango was at Kagome's apartment in about a half an hour.  Kagome didn't live far from the shop. She didn't want to be too far from her second home. Sango lived about a half hour from the shop in the other direction, though Sango was always at Kagome's place. They had each other's keys.

She fumbled with the lock for several seconds before the door opened. Sango looked puzzled. _Had this been propped open this whole time?_ She grew concerned. Sango walked in and looked around. Nothing seemed out of place. Just the normal single-living mess. She threw her purse on the couch.  "Kagome?" No answer.  "Kagome?!" Sango called again.

"In here."

That wasn't Kagome.

Sango ran to Kagome's room. The lights were on and she sat at the end of the bed in the hands of Koga.  She sobbed quietly into the man's shoulder.  "She called me," was all he said.

Sango sat on the girl's other side and immediately put her arms around her friend.  "Damn it Kagome, what's wrong?" Koga looked to Sango with curious eyes. He was as lost as Miroku had been.  "You need to tell me?"

Kagome released herself from the comfort of the two embraces.  She sat, an occasional quiver from crying. Many sniffles and tissues later, she began:

"I was locking up. I don't know how many times I sat at that door thinking, I miss him. It was where he was killed."

Sango knew instantly what was going on now.

"At least. I thought. I mean, I saw his fucking face. All blood… bruised… his body twisted between the two cars. His arm partially detached. His legs protruding unnaturally from the bottom of the metal. That should have been me.

"But it wasn't. It was him. He said he needed to run back to the bus stop cuz he forgot his phone. I said I'd get it, but he insisted.

"It just had to be that instant when a car took the wrong one way turn and fucking SLICED HIM OPEN!" she began sobbing uncontrollably again.  Sango and Koga both had to restrain her from flailing on the ground.  They held her to the bed so she couldn't hurt herself.

"Kagome! KAGOME!" Sango yelled, both arms holding down one of Kagome's.  "You need to calm down! Tell me what happened last night!" Koga held the thrashing girl, but kept silent. He was concerned.

Kagome's head swung from side to side. Her wet tears flying everywhere. Her moans and occasional screams penetrating the otherwise silent room.

After several tiring minutes, Kagome relaxed. Her unfocused eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, tears still pouring down the side of her face towards her ears. She swallowed hard. "It was him. I'm sure of it."

Sango and Koga both released their grasps on the girl's arms.  Kagome curled up, rolling onto her left side and pulled her legs up to her chest.  Sango looked to Koga and gave him the head nod to head out to the other room.  He left. Sango pulled a blanket over Kagome and left her as well.

Koga sat at the table with his hands folded and his foot tapping anxiously.  When he saw Sango come out of the room, he jumped up.  "What the hell is she talking about?" he demanded.  Sango put a finger to her lips. "I want to know."

Sango walked to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine.  She needed something to relax her.  "Do you want some?" she asked Koga.

"Got a Bud?" Sango looked in the fridge. She found one towards the back and tossed it to Koga. "So… what's with the dead guy thing?"

Sango had grabbed a wine class and poured herself a rather full portion.  She downed it quickly.  As she poured a second glass she began, "Her boyfriend. They had been high school sweethearts. He had an apartment over by me. I didn't know it, but we were practically neighbors.

"Kagome and I didn't meet until after the accident.  She aspired to do something with her life since her boyfriend's had been cut so short. She was going to keep living for him. Doing what they were planning to do together: run a shop.  When I was downtown one night with an acquaintance one afternoon, I saw her outside the building, looking at it like it was in a foreign language.  I stopped the taxi and left my friend to see what was going on.  I'd known this building to be run down for years. Since I was in high school.  And when I saw her standing there, I knew something was up.

"I walked over to her and asked her what she was doing.  She told me she had just purchased the building and was starting to renovate it; adding furniture, tiles, decoration and all that.  I told her she had a good corner to be on, except this building was almost obsolete.  It was a part of downtown that only poor people lived in.  She said to me, 'I'll change that. I'm going to change this corner.' And I believed her.

"So for the next few months, she and I risked everything we had. We bought tables, chairs, inventory, stoves, ovens… everything we have now.  Finally we opened, almost 10 months from the day we met.

"At first things were slow because people just came in to see what this place was, _Coffee on the Corner_.  No one had a clue.  Then Starbucks came downtown a few weeks later, AFTER we started our business and we were almost run down.

"But then Miroku, one of our regular customers, started coming.  We don't know where he works, but he brought in handfuls of friends at a time.  We were back on our feet, booming.  Ever since he started showing up with his friends, co-workers we aren't sure, we've been doing great.

"Then a year after things had been going, Kagome didn't show up one day.  She called me in the afternoon and said she was headed in now, that she needed to talk to me. So I closed early (I had been so busy by myself, I didn't think she'd mind if I locked early). She knocked on the front door about 10 minutes later and came in.  Her eyes were red, her cheeks puffy, her nose running. I thought she was extremely sick.

"Turns out it had been one year to the day that her boyfriend was killed right outside those doors.  Pinned and killed between two cars.  Someone took a wrong turn down the corner, swerved to try and miss him, but didn't, and struck him against a parked truck. We later found out the driver had just left a bar down the road and had been there for quite some time. Kagome wasn't happy."

Koga hadn't touched his beer. He sat stunned and awed by the story. For a while he didn't say anything. Then he broke the silence. "I never knew. I've known her for almost a year and I never noticed anything." Finally he took a drink. "What was his name?"

"She won't say. I've never found anything either. No pictures, no letters, no texts, no phone number left in her phone. I've tried. She has no family to contact. She has no one, really, besides me to contact." The two sat in silence, each taking sips occasionally to break the movement. "It's like he doesn't exist."

Sango and Koga sat next to each other for several more minutes, not saying a word.

"But how is he alive?" Koga finally asked.  It was a question burning in his mind since he could first understand the problem.

Sango didn't know how to answer.  It was tough to say.  She hadn't ever heard of a funeral for him.  She didn't know if he was taken to the hospital or straight to the morgue.  She didn't know if he survived; but she didn't know if he died either.  And, it was pretty apparent he wasn't dead.  "I don't know. If she saw him, then where is he now? Why was she so out of it?" Sango sighed. "I don't understand her. She's got this hard shell around her, and now that this one little thing cracked the surface, she completely fell apart. She never was like this before!"  She pushed herself away from the table and walked several steps away.  She put her right hand on her forehead and her left one on her hip. "I wish she'd open up and go talk to someone. She worries me."

--

Miroku sat in his apartment, unsure of what happened.  Sango had just broken down to him. Told him about her friend; what she thought was wrong. How she didn't know what to do for her friend, other than talk. She was so frustrated!

He flipped through the channels, stopping at the news every now and then.

_I wish I had some way of knowing what was wrong…_ he thought. She hadn't even given him a phone number or address. He was alone.

--

When he saw her, he froze. She was so beat up.  It looked like she was a body made of white bandages. Her legs were propped up.  Her arms wrapped and bandaged. Tubes and wires connected to every available inch of her body, some even under the white. Her head surrounded in a turban of white.  So much white. White usually means purity.

White had a new meaning for this girl. Suffering. Pain and never ending trauma. Forever she would have the scars of the past on her body; in her mind. Why had she been selected for this incident? Why was he the one to save her?

"She's lucky to have you find her."

Inuyasha's thoughts were interrupted. His doctor had appeared in the doorway. "Are you her doctor, too?"

The woman nodded. She folded her arms and leaned against the doorway. "Doctor Namura. Kagura Namura. Assault victims are my area of work. We get them so often and no one wanted to take them, so I did. I felt empathy towards them," she said with sad eyes.  "I was in her shoes once," the doctor said suddenly. Without hesitation, she left quickly.

Inuyasha leaned forward in the wheelchair, straining his neck to see her face.  But it was so bandaged and swollen it was impossible to tell if she was alive.  The only sign of life from her was the steady "beep-"ing of the heart monitor and the respirator helping her breathe.  And one other machine Inuyasha hadn't seen before.  It was a screen, like a portable television set size, maybe 6 inches across, with various colors splattered on the screen.  There didn't seem to be any shape to them, but Inuyasha guessed this machine was wired to monitor her brain.  But was red active? Or was black? And why was there a smudge of grey right in the middle?

"I need to take you back now," the cop said.  Inuyasha looked to his right and happened to glance at the nametag. Officer Hojo Yisuma. Nice guy.

"Can I ask you a couple questions?" Inuyasha said on the way back to his room. He was only about 4 rooms away in the intensive care sector. He glanced in a couple rooms and saw the same situation Kagome faced: they were all completely still. Covered in white sheets.  Hooked up to monitors. Little hope for life.

"Ask away," Hojo said calmly.

"Do you know who she is yet?"

Officer Yisuma was silent. "Not yet. No one has called in a missing person report yet that matches the small amount of detail we know about her. We've even checked our records to see if she matched someone we already had filed a case for. Nothing. She didn't have any identification on her and we didn't find anything at the scene. That's why we wanted to know if you had seen anything. Clothing, a purse, a wallet, something we could help start the search. We got about thirty team members reviewing her scene hourly." Hojo turned the chair into Inuyasha's room. "This is a case we've never seen before. We've never had this much trouble and we can't figure out why."  Carefully, he helped Inuyasha back up onto the bed. There was a tray of food laid on his nightstand.

"Well, if you find anything, will you let me know?" Inuyasha asked, pulling the food onto his lap. He began eating. It had been the first real meal he'd had in days. No, weeks. Bud hadn't eaten in a while either…

"Yea." Hojo started walking out of the room. "We do know one thing," he said as he stopped to turn back around. Inuyasha's interest was suddenly on the officer. "She's alive. Somehow. I've been talking to Doctor Namura a lot because I've been waiting for you to wake up. But she said this girl is unlike anyone she's ever helped before." Hojo cleared his throat. "She's fully conscious. But… in an altered way. Her mind has closed out all surrounding stimulus. Her nerves don't function, her joints are completely limp, her organs are the only things functioning without help. She suggested that we could send an electrical pulse through her body and it wouldn't even move." The officer looked at the ground. "It's the first case of its kind."

Inuyasha was amazed. This girl, through all this trauma, was alive. Inside her own mind. Thriving on her thoughts and memories. Basically a prisoner to the world she once knew. A miracle.

"I gotta go," said the officer. He gave Inuyasha a nod and disappeared.

_She's alive…_ _She's alive…_he kept repeating in his mind. Before he'd realized it, he'd flipped the TV on and was watching the brutal story unfold before him. The way the public saw it. With the little information they had about this case. His story. Her story.

THEIR story.

--

A/N: K. This chapter focused on Inuyasha a little more, obviously, since he was in about half of it. Next time it'll be a little more about Kagome and that little story-thing.

Lemme just tell you, when I type this bad boy, I get so excited because I'm sitting in my dorm room going "OMG THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT IDEA!" haha I'm getting excited about my own fanfic. It's great, though, because I've had so many things come to me with what I want to do. I think I can say that it's going to be roughly 10 chapters at this pace. But I may be wrong.

Thanks again!

-chibi


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